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Happy Mother’s Day and Happy Spring! I am enjoying gazing out into my backyard, enjoying the beautiful bouquet of roses and sunflowers sent by my son Jon and daughter in law, Emily 💕🌻🌻. Truly a Mother’s Day perk! I very recently had surprise hip replacement surgery, and so my shop has been closed, while I recover. I might be an overachiever ( just a bit) but even I couldn’t imagine keeping up with orders right now! I have had fabulous therapists at home, and I am walking with a cane already-incredibly amazing, as I love the independence that comes with the cane. I am feeling pretty great and my plan for today…is to sew upstairs in my studio💕💕💕🎉🎈🎈. Sewing is such a part of who we are, that it certainly leaves a hole in our lives, when we cannot sew and create. I have been doing some hand stitching and frogging 🐸🐸🐸 while recuperating . Prior to surgery , I vended two wonderful quilt Shows in Brooklyn and Point Lookout. We had an amazing time at both, savoring the beauty and interesting areas, while engaging with so many new and old friends. I love my customers 💕💕. I enjoy bringing new items and techniques to share and teach. We had our usual beautiful FreeSpirit fabrics and Wonderfil threads, Quilters Dream Batting and Martelli rotary cutters- people loved our TNT ironing boards, Cheryl Lynch’s Mini Mosaics and the EPP Brimfield Blocks. What is your favorite item that we carry?

So today being Mother’s Day, it is the perfect day to tell my Sally tale! Many of you have been wondering how I became Sally…as my given name is Roberta. I haves 2 sons, Jonathan and Jamie. Jon met his schooldays best friend Andrea’ in second grade. They became fast friends and some years later, we moved into the same neighborhood. The boys met in private school. Our families became very close and Andrea’ became my 3rd son- he was always around. Andrea’ is now a DO and 2nd lieutenant in the Air Force, but i have know him since he was missing his two front teeth- a very long time.☺️ His parents worked long hours and so, my husband Andy and I were always there for him- driving, dinner time, car breakdowns when he was driving…you get the idea. Andrea’ parents are more formal than we are , although my children call then by their first names. So one day, while the boys were in junior high school, many boys were visiting , as was usually the case and Andrea’ came up to me ” Mrs. L., can I have…” I said “oh Andrea’, please call me Roberta; all those other boys, who I might not even know their names, they should call me Mrs. Leonard , but you are family.” He said” I can’t”-so I skipped a beat and said” OK, call me Sally”- he said😊”OK, I can do that!” And we became Hank & Sally. Years go by and we have ‘Sally’s Diner’, Sally’s Taxi’, etc. My son Jon often sent me things “Happy Sally’s Day”. Life is good, but it gets better. I opened a quilt shop when I retired , and needed a catchy name- aha! My alter ego, Sally!

And so, OhSewSally! was born. Three years ago, my son Jon married and I was very lucky to welcome my daughter in law, Emily to the family. A dilemma!
what should she call me? Well, Jon sometimes calls me Sally-and So Emily and her parents ( who I adore💕) call me Sally. When I go to Starbucks, you know what name I put on my cup-Sally of course! And, I have many close friends in business and pleasure, who call me Sally- I love it!

So much has happened since I last posted…it is hard to imagine it all. I was in Hawaii and FreeSpirit closed down and thanks to the Fortunoff family , reopened! This did create a bit of havoc here in my world, but it all has worked itself out- now, if only it would stop snowing!⛄️. I am busy working on new ideas, kits and quilts- as the new fabrics arrive. I have finally cleaned out all the Passover bits and pieces- it was a wonderful holiday, full of delicious foods and family.💕

The arrival of the Kaffe Fassett Mystery Quilt program, has brought many new adventures and people into my world. Lots of fun and antics, shipping, packaging and making many quilters very happy. I was lucky enough to ship to people all across the country and how wonderful an adventure this is turning out to be- for seasoned Kaffe Fans and those new quilters who took the plunge! Many people decided to embark on this adventure to stretch their quilting comfort zone. That is something I always try to do- it stimulates intellectual growth and while expanding your palette, you are able to also expand your creativity. And it is so scary! But most often, worth the leap.☺️.

The emergence of this Mystery Quilt Program has given forth to new online opportunities-on the FreeSpirit Fabrics Website & Facebook Page; also on Facebook The Kaffe Fassett Mystery Quilts Support Group. This has provided an exciting network of people around the globe. Very Fun!

Being involved in this group has given me some thought as to who I am in this mix. I believe that I have evolved into a new type of retail quilt shop. I am a hybrid of sorts…not solely providing an online shopping experience, but also enabling quilters to shop in person at local quilt shows and guild events…and, providing a 💁‍♀️ concierge in person fabric shopping experience, by appointment , in the shop within my home. I have even provided this support several times on the phone with online customers. Sometimes, I have helped them build the fabrics needed for a specific quilt, via screenshots and phone calls. Some of many favorite customer interactions involve teaching new methods, techniques or explaining ‘ everything you always wanted to know about thread”!

So please write back and comment- follow me on Instagram-Ohsewsallyshares2, or Facebook. I have to get back to quilting and creating the samples & kits for our upcoming show in Brooklyn, next weekend! Brooklyn Quilts @ Industry City in Sunset Park. The following weekend we will be vending for LIQS at Point Lookout.

Aloha!😎🍍As many of you know I have just spent a couple of weeks in Waikiki with my mom, sister Debbie and her husband Joel. I went for the first time last year, with my mom. My parents snowbirded in Hawaii at the Hale Koa Hotel for the past 20+ years, happily skipping the winters, here up north. With my dad’s passing almost 2 years ago, he asked me to travel to Hawaii with my mom. It truly was paradise and we spent some very precious time there enjoying the ocean and so much more. Last year my sister and I hit the shop FabricMart..and I needed to buy an extra suitcase to bring home fabric! I recommend you visit one of their stores, if you visit the island. I also found it sew lucky that my hotel had traditional Hawaiian quilts displayed on each floor, under glass. I have posted them on my Instagram ‘ Ohsewsallyshares2’. So take a 👀 look. They were under glass, so I photographed them as best I could. I started on the top floor and went down, one floor at a time, to photograph them all!

I arrived home this morning @8, having left Honolulu @3:30 yesterday afternoon. When I opened the door to my home, I was greeted by 2 very excited dogs, who licked me without missing a spot! Even though I came home to ❄️ snow, I didn’t mind. Entering my home, with sunshine pouring in through all the windows and quilts hanging everywhere …I was sew happy. The house was filled with color and sun, Having been away a couple of weeks, I approached with fresh eyes. We quilters are so blessed to create beauty to surround ourselves and our lucky friends and family- we are accustomed to this and I think it is good to walk away and see our colorful worlds with fresh eyes.

While I was in Hawaii, I did need to deal with quite a hit of unexpected business. If you are not aware yet, FreeSpirit will be closing it’s doors, as of May 1, 2018. This was unexpected and has turned the lives of many upside down. Coats, the parent company decided to stop selling fabric, after a 20 year relationship with FreeSpirit.
I am hopeful that another company will pick up all of the amazing staff and designers. I began this venture as a quilt shop owner because of FreeSpirit. I retired in June 2011 from my career as a Speech Pathologist and was happily teaching and selling my quilts, bags and embroidered items. I attended Quilters Take Manhattan, the year that Amy Butler was the Keynote speaker. Her amazing FreeSpirit fabric representative Liz Dougherty, was at the event previewing Amy’s fabrics. Liz and
I spoke a few times, I remember, she said to me”oh you could do this”, “just let me come out and visit”…and so my journey began! Liz has provided so much support along the way, educating me and sparking 💡 ideas and suggestions that have ensured my success. The FreeSpirit designers have made this exciting and ensured my success, with their beautiful fabrics. So many other staff members at FreeSpirit also helped me and showed so much support. I am very grateful.

How lucky was I to host the Artisan Trunk Show by Kaffe Fassett! And I am so glad that I was able to share it with so many local quilters,especially now. I have a slide show that I am happy to share, if you missed it. I also posted it on my Facebook page, Ohsewsally Quilts. Take a peek.

Finally, I want you to know that I will continue to sell fabrics from all the FreeSpirit designers that you love- 💕 The shop is still quite well stocked. Do not 😩 despair. Our spring orders will arrive and Mystery Quilt kits will be delivered, as planned. We have Kaffe Flanel grid fabric, Tula, Kaffe, Tim Holtz & Amy Butler Wide backs too!

Friends have often encouraged me to begin a blog…and I have often entertained the idea too. I generally mentally write my ‘blogs’ while busy in my sewing studio…I never remember to put them , pen to paper, as it were. So finally, yesterday while up in the sewing room , readying one of my sister-in-law Leslie’s quilt tops for the longarm, I mentally began writing my thoughts that this triggered. And I was inspired, stopped to sit at my new Bernina 770 and type it into my phone! Fabulous moment. Here it is! I am sew excited!🤩

Have you ever wondered exactly what to do with that pile of quilt tops, that you pieced early on during your cquilting journey? It most definitely has been a glorious, sometimes tearful journey. They have now become UFO’s in your sewing room…sometimes hidden or stashed…sometimes creating a nice soft form sculpture in your sewing room or closet, maybe in a box, stashed away. Use them as a New Year’s journey, providing you with insight to see how your journey as a quilter unfolds, before your eyes. ( the good, fabulous, bad , quirky and even ugly). Finish that purloined quilt top using the tools of today’s quilter- tools that make our lives sew much easier. Use as many tools as you can to create a beautiful quilt; perhaps a gift or a donation. Someone will be thrilled to receive this soon to be finished quilt, which will bring comfort and a smile, to warm your heart. And the next best thing…it will bring you closer to a cleaner sewing place! ( many of you know I stash an amazing amount of things under my longarm-a treasure trove indeed!)

Have you grown in the taste, quality and types of fabric you now sew with? Gently examine this earlier quilt…it is always a surprise and often brings back the memory of special times : a trip to a Quilt Show or fabric shop with a friend. I remember taking a detour with Friendster drive to a quilting garage sale, while at the Quilt Odyssey Hershey Show, we had a blast!

Back to the quilt in hand…have your skills improved? I know I take as many classes as I can, for 2 reasons. First a class gives me the opportunity to sew something for myself (not for the shop) and secondly, I always learn at least one thing new that changes my quilting skill set and impacts everything I sew going forward ! Tools that will help with your problem child/quilt: use BestPres, Sta-stitching around the edges, fusible tape or appliqué if needed. It all depends on the condition of the quilt top. Have fun bringing it up to snuff and marvel on how you have changed and grown as a quilter. If you bring your quilts to a longarmer ( another great tool for us), fix it up and enjoy the amazing beautiful quilt that emerges after quilting!

Quilting is a creative journey that enriches us all…a great gift to us, the ability to create and embellish, while adding beauty to our homes. How amazing is it when we can gift someone who is ill or has lost a loved one, with a quilt from the heart. Lucky us! Now, I need to get back to stitching these open seams and throw this baby on the longarm!